Armed police seen patrolling at the Merry Hill shopping centre yesterday, were intended to reassure staff and members of the public, in the wake of a national security alert.

In comes as the UK security state was raised to critical on Tuesday night. A spokesman for intu Merry Hill said:

"It’s important to note that this does not relate to any specific threat to intu Merry Hill, but please speak to us if you have any concerns."